


Phillip Needs A Wedding Date

by B2017



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Cute, F/M, Hawaii, Modern AU, Phillip Needs a Wedding Date, Romance, Vacation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-04-30 19:04:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14503506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B2017/pseuds/B2017
Summary: Phillip needs a date for his sisters wedding to shut his parents up and Anne offers to go with him. Was originally supposed to be a one shot but aparently I don’t know when to stop....





	1. Chapter 1

“You alright?” Anne asked, leaning round the door of Phillip’s office. He was sitting there in front of his computer, still staring at the same piece of paper he had been walked she’d walked through an hour ago.

 

He pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache starting to form at just the thought of having to go and spend time with his family. “Um… yeah.”

 

She raised an eyebrow at him, walking in and closing the door. “Because that was real convincing.” She joked. “What’s up?”

 

He looked up at her as she sat down opposite him, dropping the piece of paper on the desk and closing the top of his laptop. “My sister is getting married at the weekend.”

 

“And that’s a bad thing? Do you not like the guy or something?” She asked, picking up the invitation he’d just dropped. “She’s getting married in Hawaii?!”

 

“Yep.” He sighed. “Which means I get to spend a whole week trapped in a hotel with my entire family. My Mom has already called me three times to ask if I’m bringing a date.”

 

“Are you?” Anne asked, trying to sound nonchalant. The idea of Phillip dating someone left an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. She had to try and remind herself that they weren’t together, and never would be, she didn’t have any right to care. And yet she did, because now matter how hard she tried to convince herself she didn’t- she wished it was her he was taking.

 

“No.” He snorted, looking at her amused. “What- did you think I’d got some secret girlfriend hidden away none of you knew about?”

 

“Well… it’s possible?” She felt her cheeks flush under the weight of his gaze. “I mean none of us really know what you do when you’re not here?”

 

He laughed. “When I’m not here I sleep! And just lately it doesn’t even feel like I’m doing that. This circus has kind of taken over my life, especially since P.T. took a step back.”

 

“Right.” Anne mumbled. “Didn’t you say you had a date the other night though?”

 

“Oh, Yeah.” He rolled his eyes. “My mother set me up with her. Needless to say it didn’t work out.” She’d been a nice enough girl, her father played golf with his father apparently and she was a lawyer- everything his mother wanted for him. She laughed at all his jokes and feigned an interest in his work with Barnum, while trying to work out when he’d be going to “get a real job”. All he’d been able to think of was the fact that she wasn’t Anne.

 

“Oh?” Anne raised an eyebrow. He shook his head, he wasn’t about to get into a discussion about that with her. “Well, it’ll be a vacation for you at least?”

 

He looked around at the piles of paper strewn all over his desk. “I haven’t really got time for a vacation.” He sighed. “I suppose I could take most of this with me and get it done while I’m there. Then maybe I’ll have a reason to hide in my room away from my family.”

 

“You’re not going all the way to Hawaii to sit in your hotel room and stare at work.” She shook her head.

 

“If it wasn’t my sister's wedding I wouldn’t be going at all.” He sighed. “It’s not worth the grief I’ll get, trust me.”

 

“They can’t be that bad.” She laughed.

 

“If you’d met my family you wouldn’t be saying that.” He sighed. “I’m going to have to take someone with me. I guess I could call… oh god, I can’t ever remember her name… I’m a terrible person.”

 

Anne laughed at the look of horror on his face. “That good eh?”

 

“It was awful.” He groaned. “You’re right I can’t take her. It’ll make the whole thing even worse.” He dropped his head in to his hands in defeat. He could practically hear his mother already.

 

“I could come with you?” The words were out of her mouth before she’d thought about it and she regretted them instantly. Not because she didn’t want to go- far from it- but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle the rejection that was inevitably coming.

 

“You’d do that?” He looked at her in surprise.

 

“What girl wouldn’t want to spend a week in Hawaii with _the_ Phillip Carlyle?” She teased. “I’m kidding, you don’t have to take me.”

 

His face fell. “Oh.” He’d thought for a second she was serious and the idea of getting to spend a week with her without the constant interruptions of the circus had suddenly given Hawaii some appeal.

 

“Unless you want me to?” She asked, confused by his reaction. She wasn’t really the kind of person the Carlyle family had in mind when they’d told Phillip to bring someone. She was about as far from a lawyer with a millionaire father as you could get. Yet the idea of spending a week as his girlfriend, even if they were only pretending, filled her with excitement.

 

“What about that guy you were seeing?” He sighed. “What was his name- Mark?”

 

“Mike.” She corrected. “And we went on like two dates, then he met W.D. and he frightened him off.” If she was being honest she’d been kind of relieved when he’d just disappeared. He was a nice guy and everything but he just wasn’t… well, Phillip.

 

“Oh. I’m sorry.” He said softly.

 

“It’s fine, really.” She said dismissively. “So- if the offer is still open I’d love to come with you… although I’d have to ask my boss if he’ll let me have the time off.”

 

Phillip’s face broke into a breathtaking grin and Anne found herself grinning back at him. “I think I could probably twist his arm.” He winked.

 

She watched as he opened his laptop up again, tapping away furiously for a couple of moments. It wasn’t until he grabbed his wallet for his credit card that she realised what he was doing.

 

“Stop, hang on. I can give you my card to pay for it.” She rummaged in her bag quickly. She wasn’t entirely sure how she was going to afford it, but she’d find a way.

 

“Already done.” He grinned, looking pleased with himself. “You’re going to have to suffer through my entire family. I’m not letting you pay for it.”

 

“I’m paying you back.” She sighed unhappily.

 

“Not a chance.” He laughed, standing up from the desk and gathering his things up to put in his bag.. “I suppose I’d better go home and start packing. It looks like we’re going to Hawaii tomorrow.”

 

“Tomorrow?” Her heart skipped with a mix of excitement and nerves. She suddenly wondered what on Earth she was supposed to wear. She was pretty sure she didn’t have anything even vaguely suitable for something like this. What had she been thinking?

 

Phillip nodded. “I’ll pick you up at 9am if that’s okay? Our flight is at lunch time. Obviously, if you come to your senses before then and change your mind I won’t blame you.”

 

“I’m coming with you, don’t worry.” She laughed, following him out of the office.

 

He paused to lock the door of his office. “I’ll see you in the morning then.” She smiled as she headed for the exit.

 

“Anne?” He called as she walked away from him. She stopped and turned to face him. “Thank you, really.”

 

“See you in the morning Phillip.” She smiled.

 

* * *

 

Anne let out a low whistle under her breath as she stood outside her apartment building the next morning, Phillip loading her suitcase into the back of his outrageously expensive car.

 

“What?” He pulled his sunglasses off to look at her as he closed the boot.

 

“Nothing.” She smiled, suddenly feeling even more nervous than she had done. “Just admiring the car, that’s all. How come you don’t drive this to work?” The shiny silver Audi was brand new and gleaming. She didn’t like to think how many years of her salary it would have cost.

 

“It was a present from my father.” Phillip told her grimly as he slid into the driver's seat. “A ridiculously unnecessary one too given that I walk absolutely everywhere. I keep trying to return it but he won’t have it. Still, it’s come in handy today I suppose.” She climbed into the passenger seat beside him.

 

Anne nodded silently. If she was being honest she often forgot quite how wealthy Phillip’s family, and by default Phillip, really was. At work he just seemed like he was one of them. She was in way, way over her head here and they hadn’t even left yet. Her stomach flipped again as Phillip signalled and joined the traffic headed for the airport.

 

Arriving at the airport didn’t do anything to settle her nerves either. It was like she’d been swept up into another world. She found herself sat in the business class lounge opposite Phillip, a glass of champagne in her hand that someone had handed her as they’d come in watching in bewilderment as Phillip flipped through the newspaper.

 

“Are you okay?” He asked, looking up at her. “You’ve been very quiet.”

 

She drained the last of the drink and set the glass down on the table between them. “I’m fine. I just… I um… I forget sometimes, y’know? That this is what your life is actually like.”

 

He laughed quietly. “Things would be a lot simpler without all of this believe me.”

 

“Really?” She frowned.

 

“My parents entire lives have been all about their social standing and what other people think of them. If my father hadn’t inherited all this money and been so successful they wouldn’t have an issue with that fact that I’m not married or CEO of some huge company. It might be enough for them that I have a work I adore and I’m happy. But they’re not those kind of people, because all they think about is money and what people think of them.” He sighed. “Like this whole weekend, it’s not really about my sister- it’s all about putting on a show for everyone else who is there.”

 

“Oh.” Anne was rather stunned into silence. “I’ve never thought about it like that.”

 

He smiled, folding his newspaper up and dropping it on to the table beside her glass. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. They just wind me up, that’s all.” Just the thought of spending a week confined with his parents was giving him a headache. The fact he was going to have Anne there to keep him sane was the only thing keeping him going. “Anyway, we’d better get going. They’re calling our flight.” He pointed at the screen and picked up both of their bags.

 

“I can take that.” She protested, following after him. He paused to let her catch up but didn’t let her carry her bag.

 

“Thank you for this, I mean really.” He said again as they stood in line waiting to board the plane.

 

“It’s my pleasure.” She smiled. “Although we’d better get our story straight on the plane… I don’t want to drop myself in it.”

 

He grinned at her for a moment.

 

“What?” She asked when he didn’t say anything.

 

“Just thinking about how lucky I am that for some insane reason you agreed to do this with me.” He smiled.

 

“You know.” She winked. “I’m starting to think this might be kind of fun.”

 

“So, what do you want to tell them? I’m a lawyer or…” she suggested, walking beside him as they made their way down the tunnel that led to the plane.

 

“You don’t need to come up with some ridiculous story. I’d much rather you were yourself.” He cut in.

 

“Really?” She looked surprised. Surely he wouldn’t want his family knowing he was at the wedding with a trapeze artists. She somehow doubted they’d approve.

 

“Really.” He smiled as they boarded the plane, turning left into the business class section to find their seats.

 

* * *

 

The early flight he’d booked them meant they were the first of the group to arrive at the hotel. The rest of them were due to arrive either later that evening or the next morning. He was grateful, he needed a couple more hours of peace to psych himself up for his parents. He smiled and thanked the receptionist who handed them the keys to their room, then realised his mistake. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think. Of course they’ve only booked one room.” He turned and looked at Anne as they stood waiting for the elevator. “I’ll go back to reception and see if they’ve got another room I can book for me and then-“

 

“Phillip.” The elevator arrived and she stepped inside, waiting for him to follow her. “It’s fine, really. I thought the whole point of this was to convince your parents I was your date? I’m not sure how convincing it’ll be if you’re staying at the other end of the hotel.” She joked.

 

He followed her inside and hit the button for the fifth floor. “Are you sure?”

 

She nodded. “You need to relax Phillip. This is supposed to be a vacation.” The elevator pinged to signal their arrival on the fifth floor. She wheeled her suitcase out and followed him down the hallway.

 

“Okay then.” He nodded, chewing his lip nervously as he unlocked the door to their room. “But if you change your mind it’s fine. I really don’t mind paying for another room.”

 

She almost laughed as she followed him into the room. It was enormous, easily bigger than her apartment at home. The whole back wall was glass with a balcony that looked out over the ocean. It was as beautiful, and clearly expensive, as the rest of the hotel. She’d never seen anything like it. “This is amazing.” She breathed, dropping her suitcase at the foot of the huge king size bed and opening the doors onto the balcony.

 

“I’ve always loved it here.” He agreed, leaning against the balcony beside her.

 

“You’ve been before?” She asked, glancing over at him.

 

He nodded. “We used to come as a family every summer. My sister has always loved it. She’s been saying ever since I can remember she was going to get married here.”

 

Anne smiled. “That’s sweet.”

 

“I just hope she’s marrying him because he makes her happy and not because it’s what my father wants.” He sighed.

 

She reached out and squeezed his arm gently. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

 

“Anything she tells you, well any of them tell you, it’s not true.” He smirked.

 

“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow. “Am I going to get to hear all kinds of stories about what the young Phillip Carlyle got up to?”

 

He rolled his eyes. “I’m afraid so.”

 

“Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me.” She laughed. “Have I got time to shower before we have to be anywhere?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah you’ve got plenty of time. I’m going to try and get some of my work done before the chaos begins.”

 

“Chaos?” She stopped in the doorway and turned to look at him.

 

“We’re scheduled to meet everyone by the pool for drinks this evening.” He sighed. “You might want to brace yourself because you’re about to meet the entire Carlyle family in one go.”

 

She laughed. “How bad can it be?” She called as she disappeared into the bathroom.

* * *

 

When she came out of the bathroom half an hour later he was still sat at the table on the balcony staring at his laptop intently. She realised as he walked out that he’d changed into a pair of shorts and a blue shirt ready for them to go and meet his family.

 

“You need to learn how to take a break.” She joked, sitting down beside him.

 

“I just need to finish this. Give me five minutes, sorry.” He sighed, glancing up at her over the screen. “Wow, you look nice.” He breathed.

 

“Are you trying to say I don’t look nice normally?” She joked. She was secretly pleased though. She’d been more than a little worried the clothes she’d brought with her weren’t going to be smart enough. She’d discovered as she stood in front of her wardrobe wondering what to pack that she didn’t really own much that wasn’t either gym clothes or pyjamas. She’d had a very limited selection to choose from.

 

He shook his head. That wasn’t what he meant at all. The teal sundress she was wearing was a big change from what he was used to seeing her in, but she always looked amazing whatever she wore. He didn’t know how many times he’d caught himself staring when they’d been at work and had to remind himself to snap out of it. “That wasn’t what I meant, you always look good. You just… that dress really suits you.” He looked back down at his computer, feeling the blush creep across his cheeks. It was going to be a long week.

 

She didn’t tease him any further, she could see how uncomfortable he was already. “So, is there anyone I should look out for tonight?” She asked.

 

He looked up at her again. “All of them?” He offered with a half smile.

 

She laughed, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “If I didn’t know better I’d think you were trying to scare me off.”

 

“God no.” He shot back. “You can’t go and leave me here with them all on my own.” His panic subsided somewhat as he saw her mischievous expresssion.

 

“I was only joking, relax Phillip. It’ll be fun.”

 

“You and I have got very different ideas of fun.” He grumbled, shutting the lid of his laptop. He glanced at his watch. “But we’re here, and at least I’ve got you to keep me sane. I suppose we’d better go and get this over with.”

 

She stood up, taking the hand he held out to her, surprised by the gesture.

 

“Gotta make sure you don’t run off and leave me with them.” He joked with a wink as they walked out of their room and headed for the bar.

 

She laughed quietly, trying not to think about the way her hand fitted perfectly with his. Her heart was hammering in her chest as his thumb absentmindedly traced a pattern across her knuckles as they stood waiting for the elevator. It was going to be a very long week if just holding his hand was going to have this kind of effect on her.

* * *

 

She was a little shocked at the sheer number of people gathered at the bar when they walked in. Surely they couldn’t _all_ be part of the Carlyle family? She gripped Phillip’s hand a fraction tighter and he gave her a reassuring squeeze back. “Don’t worry, I won’t let go of you.” He whispered in her ear, his breath warm against her skin.

 

“Phillip!” They both wheeled round to find his parents making a beeline for them. “It’s so lovely to see you.” Mrs Carlyle swept him up in a hug as Anne stood beside him awkwardly, his hand still holding on to hers tightly.

 

“Mom, Dad.” Phillip smiled, taking a step back. “This is Anne.”

 

“Lovely to meet you dear.” Mrs Carlyle had pulled Anne into a hug before she knew what was happening. “You look lovely.”

 

“Thank you.” Anne smiled, taking a subconscious step closer to Phillip as Mrs Carlyle released her. “I love your dress.”

 

“I like her Phillip!” His Mom announced triumphantly, grinning at them both. He didn’t miss the face of disapproval his father pulled.

 

“So Anne, what is it you do?” Mr Carlyle asked. The way he said it implied he already knew the answer.

 

Anne looked to Phillip uncertainly, he nodded slightly in encouragement. “Trapeze, sir.”

 

“So you’re from that circus.” His disapproval was clear in his voice.

 

“Richard.” Mrs Carlyle hissed. “Stop it. I think it’s lovely that Phillip has finally found someone.”

 

“Thank you Mom.” Phillip smiled tightly. His arm wound protectively around Anne’s waist as he looked at his father, almost challenging him to say something.

 

“You’d better go and get yourselves a drink and find your sister quickly.” Mrs Carlyle suggested. “Before everything gets started!”

 

“Yes, come on darling.” Phillip smiled at Anne, his hand on her waist gently pulling her towards the bar with him. “I’m sorry.” He whispered as soon as they were out of earshot.

 

She turned to look at him, caught by surprise by just how close together their faces were. If she moved forward an inch her lips would be… she stopped herself, a blush creeping up her face as she scolded herself for getting carried away. She was there to play the part of his girlfriend, it didn’t mean he actually wanted her to be. “They seem…” she murmured.

 

“Like terrible people?” He offered as they reached the bar.

 

She laughed quietly. “I wasn’t going to phrase it quite like that… your Mom seems okay?”

 

“She’s definitely the lesser of two evils.” He agreed. The waiter behind the bar passed them a glass of champagne each before they could speak. Phillip thanked him and turned back to Anne. “Don’t worry, we’ll try and stay away from them as much as we can.”

 

Anne sipped at her drink. Alcohol was going to be required if everyone there was going to look at her the way Phillip’s father had. She drained her glass quickly without even realising.

 

“Here.” Phillip handed her his glass which was still full.

 

“Oh no, it’s okay. I can get myself another one.” She fumbled in her purse.

 

“It’s an open bar, my father’s paying so drink as much as you like.” He laughed. “But I need you to drink at least most of mine so I don’t have to.”

 

“Oh?” She took the glass he was holding out to her. He picked her empty one up off the bar and held it.

 

“I’ve been sober for a year Anne, I’m not going to screw it up now…. but, if I haven’t got a glass in my hand the whole time people are going to keep bringing me drinks.” He gestured at the empty glass he was now holding in his hand.

 

“Oh.” She nodded. “You've done this before.”

 

He nodded. “Mind you, at least I’ve got some good company this time. That should make this a bit easier to suffer through.”

 

She felt her cheeks flush scarlet again. “I’m really glad you brought me.”

 

“I’m really glad you came.”

 


	2. Part Two

She’d lost count of the number of people she’d been introduced to. They’d all regarded her with the same curious look, as though they were shocked to actually see Phillip with someone. She was beginning to understand why Phillip had been quite so anxious about going there alone.

 

“Phillip!” They both turned away from the man she was fairly sure had been introduced as Phillip’s cousin as someone called his name from behind them.

 

It was obvious to her that the woman speaking was his sister from the way he reacted, sweeping her up into a hug and spinning her around. There was none of the reluctance that there had been to talk to other members of his family. That and the fact that she was the spitting image of his mother, tiny and blonde with the same sparkling blue eyes as Phillip.

 

“Hey Ash!” He grinned, letting her back down. “James.” He smiled a polite greeting at the man stood behind her.

 

“You came!” Ashley jabbed his arm playfully. “I kept waiting for you to call with some pathetic excuse.”

 

Phillip rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to miss my little sisters wedding am I?”

 

His sister seemed to notice Anne stood there beside him for the first time. “Who’s this?” She asked, smiling warmly.

 

Phillip reached back and wound his arm around Anne’s waist again, pulling her in towards him. “This is Anne. Anne this is my sister Ashley.”

 

Ashley stared at Anne for a second. “Mom said you were bringing a date- I thought you’d just said it to shut her up. Hi, it’s lovely to meet you!” She grabbed Anne and taking her by surprise pulled her into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

 

“Thank you for having me.” Anne smiled politely, retreating back into the safety of Phillip’s arms as soon as she was released. Phillip put his arm back around around her, his fingers grazing softly across the bare skin of her back. It sent a shiver up her spine. She wondered for a second if he’d heard the way her breath hitched in her throat, his fingers continuing to trace patterns softly across her back she turned back to his sister.

 

“I’ve got so many stories to tell you about Phillip this weekend Anne!” Ashley said excitedly. Phillip groaned beside her. “You have to come to the spa with Mom and I tomorrow, I insist!”

 

“I don’t-” Phillip tried to cut in.

 

“You can go and play golf with James, Dad and his dad.” She announced. She grabbed her husband to be’s hand. “We’ve got to get going, but I’ll see you in the spa tomorrow lunch time? Don’t you even think about trying to get her to bail on me Phillip Carlyle! You know I’ll find out!” She disappeared off in to the crowd, James in tow before either of them had a chance to say anything else.

 

“Sorry.” Phillip mumbled apologetically. He turned to face Anne, his arm still around her waist and she was taken aback for a moment by the intimacy of the moment. Their bodies were inches apart, his hand still resting against the bare skin of her back. She could see her reflection in his blue eyes as they stood there, he looked at her with an unreadable expression. For a moment it seemed as though it could’ve just been the two of them, alone under the twinkling fairy lights. She found herself wondering what it would be like to close that remaining bit of distance between them and press her lips to his.

 

The moment was shattered somewhat by the yawn she couldn’t suppress. “Come on.” Phillip laughed. “Let’s get you to bed before you fall asleep standing here.”

 

She didn’t argue, she was dead on her feet. A combination of a long day of travelling and no sleep the night before had caught up with her. The idea of going to bed sent a whole new wave of nerves flooding through her though.

 

She was quiet, he noticed, as they walked back to their room hand in hand. He was desperate to know what she was thinking about, but at the same time terrified to ask. He wondered if she was regretting being there with him. “You know.” He stared apprehensively as they reached the door to their room. “I could still go down to reception and get another room.”

 

She unlocked the door and stepped inside, turning around to look at him quizzically when he didn’t immediately move to follow her. “You do know you’re being ridiculous, right?” She frowned, hands on her hips and her foot propping the door open as she waited for him to follow her.

 

He laughed quietly. “I think you’ll find I was being a gentleman. I’m well aware that you didn’t sign up to come halfway across the country to be forced to share a bed with me.” He locked the door behind them and turned to face her.

 

She was stood beside the bed and he didn’t miss the way she rolled her eyes at him. “Phillip, this bed is bigger than my apartment I’m pretty sure. You’re still being ridiculous. Although if you snore and keep me awake I’m going to kill you because I’m pretty sure this is the most tired I’ve ever been.”

 

“Got it. No snoring.” He nodded.

 

He disappeared into the bathroom for a moment. When he came back out she grabbed her pyjamas and wash bag, heading for the bathroom to get changed. She locked the door behind herself and then looked at the pyjamas she’d packed in her hurry that morning. Well, calling them pyjamas was probably being a bit generous. It was an old tshirt of hers and a tiny pair of checkered shorts that she suddenly wished were a lot longer than they were. She had to remind herself that Phillip had seen her in her outfit for the show and her ratty work out clothes when she’d been practicing. She scraped her hair back and took her makeup off, taking a couple of deep breaths and telling herself he’d never look at her anyway so it didn’t matter.

 

But it did matter- to her anyway.

 

He was in bed when she came out of the bathroom, propped up against the headboard frowning at something on his phone. He glanced up as she climbed into bed next to him. “Sorry, this will only take a minute.”

 

She stifled a yawn, settling herself amongst all the pillows. The bed was enormous and ridiculously comfortable. Not that it would’ve made any difference, she was so tired she felt like she would’ve fallen asleep standing up given the chance. “Do you ever stop working?” She teased, turning to face him.

 

He quickly sent the email he’d been writing back to P.T., dropped his phone on the bedside table and turned to face her. She was only a few inches away, her hair splayed across the pillows as she blinked at him sleepily. He couldn’t help but think he’d never seen anything so beautiful. “I should probably learn how to do that.” He smiled ruefully.

 

“You should.” She nodded, rolling on to her side to face him. She found herself wondering what it would be like to shuffle those few inches closer to him so he’d be holding her. She imagined it would be just as wonderful as being in his arms all night at the bar.

 

“P.T. did tell me to stop emailing him.” Phillip admitted sheepishly. “Apparently they can manage without us for a week.”

 

“He’s right.” Anne nodded, battling to keep her eyes open.

 

“I know.” Phillip smiled. “So I guess you’ll have to teach me how to actually go on vacation and relax because I’m not sure I remember.”

 

“Mmmm… ‘kay.” Anne mumbled sleepily. He could see on her face she was seconds away from falling asleep. He found himself smiling as he watched her for a moment before he turned off the light.

 

* * *

 

 

When she woke the next morning she was hot- that was the first thing she noticed. As she tentatively opened one eye she was momentarily confused by her surroundings. Then she remembered she was in Hawaii with Phillip, and that the warmth she could feel was from the fact she’d somehow ended up with her head on his bare chest, her legs interlaced with his and his arms around her during the night.

 

She snuck a peek up at him to find he was still fast asleep, his hair tousled and his face peaceful. For once he wasn’t frowning and didn’t look like he was worried about a hundred different things. She contemplated moving for a second, to spare herself the embarrassment of still being in that position when he woke up but as she went to untangle herself his arms tightened around her automatically. She didn’t put up much of a fight, relaxing her head back against him and allowing herself to drift back off to sleep. It was still dark outside after all and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually had a lie in.

 

* * *

 

 

She was still asleep when he woke up, curled up right against him despite the enormous bed. He wished for a moment that they could stay there forever and not go back to the real world. His mind wandered and he started thinking about what it would be like to wake up like that every morning. His heart sunk thinking about the fact he’d never know.

 

It was still dark outside when she woke again, the time difference had well and truly messed with her body clock. She was still pressed up against Phillip and she wondered if he was awake yet. She heard him laugh quietly as her stomach growled hungrily which answered her question.

 

“Morning.” She smiled, turning to face him and carefully putting some distance between them.

 

“Hungry?” He laughed.

 

“Maybe.” She joked. “What time is it?”

 

“4am.” He groaned. “I’m starving.”

 

“If we were at home you would’ve been at work for hours by now.”

 

“I know.” Phillip groaned. “At least we don’t really have to do anything today.”

 

“Yes we do.” Anne sat up, grinning mischievously.

 

“We do?” He tried to remember what it was he’d forgotten.

 

“I believe I promised to show you how to actually take a vacation without worrying about work!” She grinned.

 

“Oh.” His face fell and she felt the disappointment wash over her. He saw the look on her face. “No, no. It’s not that I don’t want to it’s just…”

 

“What?” She frowned.

 

“I seem to remember you promised you’d go to the spa with my Mom and Sister and signing me up to play golf to get rid of me.” He raised an eyebrow at her.

 

“Oh, Yeah.” She laughed. “Your sister was going to tell me all your secrets!”

 

He cringed. He didn’t even want to think about the kind of stuff Ashley might come out with. “So as much as I’d love to, whatever you’ve got planned might need to wait until tomorrow unless you want her to come up here and actually drag you down there. She wasn’t kidding!”

 

Anne swallowed nervously. The thought of being alone with Phillip Mom and Sister was mildly terrifying to say the least.

 

“You’ll be fine. Ashley’s okay, really. And my Mom seems to like you.” Phillip smiled encouragingly. “Meanwhile I’ll be stuck playing golf with my father.”

 

“You’re not worried she might tell me all your secrets then?” Anne joked.

 

Phillip laughed. “I think I trust you enough to keep my secrets.”

 

“I’m honoured!” She grinned.

 

“You should be.” He winked. Her stomach growled again. “Come on, I’ll go and shower and we’ll see if we can find you some food before Ashley kidnaps you for the day!”

 

* * *

 

 

The restaurant was practically deserted when they sat down for breakfast but quickly filled up. They picked a table tucked away in the corner, Phillip hoping they’d get away without bumping in to any members of his extended family who might insist on joining them. He just wanted to spend some time alone with Anne.

 

“Thanks again, for doing this with me.” He said quietly, putting his knife and fork down as he finished his food.

 

“You don’t have to keep doing that.” She rolled her eyes at him, draining the last of her coffee.

 

“What?”

 

“Thanking me.” She laughed. “It’s not like this is some kind of punishment. I’m on vacation in Hawaii and about to go to the spa for the day.”

 

“But you do have to put up with me and my family all week.” He reminded her.

 

“I don’t know why you find it so hard to believe that I might actually want to spend time with you.” She said softly, the blush creeping up her neck as he stared at her for a long moment.

 

“Do you?” He asked hesitantly. His mind was racing trying to work out what she meant. Had he been wrong about her not being interested after all? His heart skipped a beat at the possibility.

 

“I-“

 

“Anne! There you are!” Ashley appeared beside the table fork nowhere. “I’m so glad I found you! We’ve got to get going!”

 

“I-“ Anne tried to protest, desperately wanting to finish their conversation. Ashley had already grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to her feet. Considering how tiny she was there was no arguing with the woman.

 

“Can you give us a minute Ash? Please?” Phillip pleaded. “We were kind of in the middle of a conversation here?”

 

“Nope.” Ashley grinned. “You can finish later. We have a spa day to get to! Dads meeting you at reception at 10, have fun!” She kept her grip on Anne’s hand and dragged her out of the restaurant before Phillip had the chance to say another word.

* * *

 

 

Anne had to admit, as annoyed as she’d been when Ashley had interrupted, that the spa was pretty relaxing. It wasn’t like it was something she’d ever get to do at home- there definitely wasn’t going to be enough spare money for that- and that made it even more exciting. That, and the fact Ashley’s enthusiasm was contagious. She’d chatted excitedly about the wedding, their honeymoon and everything else all day as well as telling Anne countless stories about stupid things Phillip had done growing up.

 

The three of them sat in a row, wrapped in big fluffy robes with a glass of champagne in hand getting a pedicure and she realised she was the happiest and most relaxed she’d been in months. It was nice to get away for a week and not have the pressure of performing every night, as much as she loved her job she had definitely needed a break.

 

“So.” Ashley started, turning to face Anne. “Tell us about you and Phillip.”

 

“Yes, please do dear.” Mrs Carlyle chipped in. “The boy doesn’t tell me anything.”

 

Anne shifted uncomfortably as they both stared at her. “What do you want to know?”

 

“How did you meet?” Ashley asked excitedly.

 

“The circus.” Anne smiled. “I think Phillip told you, I do trapeze with my brother? Barnum had persuaded Phillip to come and join us and the two of them were standing on the balcony watching us. I swung up and as I looked Phillip was just standing there staring.” She could remember that moment as though it had been the day before.

 

“Oh wow.” Ashley breathed. “That’s so romantic! I met James at the office which is kind of less exciting! So did you know right then, that you loved him?”

 

“Ashley.” Mrs Carlyle scolded. “Sorry Anne, you don’t have to answer that.”

 

There was a paused for a moment. “I think I probably did.” Anne admitted.

 

Ashley looked like she was about to burst. “I’m so happy for you two! Isn’t it so nice to see Phillip with a nice girl finally?” She turned to look at her Mom.

 

Mrs Carlyle sipped at her drink, nodding slightly. “He seems to actually like you which is nice. I thought he was going to have persuaded someone else to come with him to shut us all up like last time. Oh, what was that girls name?”

 

“Leanne? Lauren? Lucy?” Ashley suggested. “I can’t even remember. She was terrible.”

 

“She was.” Mrs Carlyle nodded. “And the one before her. Nicky? God they were awful.”

 

Anne looked down uncomfortably. She wondered if they were going to start talking about her in the same way after she’d left.

 

“Sorry, you must think we’re terrible people.” Ashley cringed. “I just… Well, there’s been a lot of women that have tried to date my brother. Most have them have been after him for his money and he’s never paid any real attention to any of them. It’s just so nice to see him so happy.”

 

“It really is.” Mrs Carlyle smiles. “And please, just ignore anything my husband says to you. He can be a bit of an idiot but he means well.” Ashley nodded in agreement.

 

Anne smiled back at them, not knowing what to say. “Thank you for letting me come with you, it’s been really fun. I should probably get going though.” She hadn’t realised when they said spa day that they’d quite literally meant they were serious about spending the entire day in there.

 

“We do need to get going but I’m not done with you yet.” Ashley laughed as the three of them got up.

 

Mrs Carlyle gave them a knowing smile. “I’ll leave you two to it, have fun girls.”

 

“I feel like I’ve missed something.” Anne said warily as Ashley led her out of the spa.

 

“We’re supposed to be having a big family dinner tonight. The boys won’t be back from golf for another couple of hours so I thought it might be fun to get you all dolled up and surprise Phillip.” Ashley announced excitedly. “I’ve seen the way he’s been looking at you, I don’t think it’ll take much for his eyes to pop out of his head.

 

Anne laughed nervously. Ashley still had her wrist in a vice like grip so she suspected she didn’t have much choice in the matter.

 

“I need to get to know my future sister in law anyway!” Ashley beamed.

 

“I don’t think-“ Anne started nervously.

 

Ashley turned to face her as they reached her hotel room. “I know my brother Anne. I have never seen him look at someone the way he looks at you. I can’t believe I’m finally going to have a sister!”

 

Anne didn’t argue, she had a feeling it was going to be rather pointless. She was after all there to play the part of Phillip’s girlfriend- she wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting. Maybe his family to be less convinced he was in love with her? Because she knew deep down it was never going to happen.

 

Ashley pulled her in to the room and sat her down at a chair in front of the mirror. There were more hair products and makeup laid out on the table than Anne had ever seen in her life and she couldn’t help but laugh. “How long have you been planning this?”

 

Ashley looked guilty for a second. “Since I saw you last night?” She laughed nervously. “I even managed to send Mom up to your room to get your makeup and clothes for me.”

 

Anne couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re organised. I’ll give you that.”

 

Ashley picked up a hairbrush. “Lets do this!” She grinned.

 

* * *

 

 

“Wow.” Anne breathed, looking at her reflection in the mirror. “You’re good at this.”

 

Ashley laughed. “Ask Phillip, I practiced on him a lot when we were kids.”

 

“Now there’s an image.” Anne smirked.

 

“Mom did bring a couple of your dresses down here.” Ashley said, walking over to the wardrobe. “But I have got this and I think it would look amazing on you.” She held out a hanger with a black dress on to Anne.

 

“Okay.” Anne nodded. “Thank you, this has been so fun!”

 

“It’ll be even more fun when you get to see Phillip’s face.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Holy shit.” Phillip breathed, watching his sister and Anne walk down to the bar arm in arm. James who was standing beside him gave a low whistle.

 

Anne felt her cheeks flush as she met Phillip’s eye. “You’re right, this is fun.” She murmured to Ashley who laughed under her breath.

 

“Hey sweetie.” Ashley let go of Anne as they reached the boys. “Good round of golf?”

 

James nodded. “It was okay. You look amazing.”

 

Phillip stared at Anne for a long moment. Her hair hung in smooth glossy curls around her face, her eyes sparkled as she smiled at him. The sleeveless black dress she had on had virtually no back to it he realised as she turned around to grab herself a drink and she looked incredible.

 

As Anne turned back to him, glass of wine in hand, he realised he was still staring. “You look amazing.” He whispered in her ear, winding his arm around her waist.

 

“She does, doesn’t she? You’re a lucky boy Phil.” Ashley butted in. James nodded in agreement and Anne smiled awkwardly. “Come on James, we’d better go find our seats. See you two in there.” With a quick wink at Anne she was gone.

 

“How long did she kidnap you for?” Phillip whispered as Ashley and James walked across.

 

His warm breath on her neck made every hair on her body stand on end. “We had a lot of fun.” Anne smiled.

 

“In the same way I used to have fun when she used to use me as her doll?” He joked.

 

“She told me all about that.” Anne laughed. “I really like her.”

 

“Well, it seems like she really likes you too.” He smiled. “And you do, look amazing, really. Not that you don’t usually it’s just… well… just wow.”

 

Anne laughed, she couldn’t help herself. “It’s not quite the same as my ratty old gym leggings is it?”

 

“You look great in those two.” He whispered. His thumb continued to trace absently across the bare skin of her back as he looked at her. For a moment, standing there under the hundreds of twinkling fairy lights that adorned every pillar of the bar, she almost thought that he might kiss her.

 

Then he seemed to snap himself out of the moment, removing his hand from her back and offering it to her to hold instead. “Well I don’t know about you but I’m starving. We’d better go and find our seats.” He suggested quickly.

 

She nodded in agreement, taking his hand and following him, trying not to feel the wave of disappointment that came crashing over her. She should never have let Ashley convince her he had feelings for her in the first place, then she wouldn’t have had to deal with the disappointment of realising he didn’t after all.


	3. Part 3

“Are you okay, you’ve been very quiet all night?” Phillip asked, his voice low in her ear as they stood at the bar. He’d been watching her out of the corner of his eye all evening as she’d picked at her food and barely said a word through dinner. Now standing beside him at the bar she looked _uncomfortable_ almost, like something was worrying her but he was struggling to work out what.

 

“I’m fine. Got a headache.” She mumbled.

 

“We can go back, it’s getting late.” Phillip quickly suggested.

 

Anne’s stomach flipped. She was far from convinced that being alone in a room with Phillip was going to do anything to help the way she was feeling. The thought of spending another night sharing a bed with him filled her with dread.

 

“I might go back and have a lie down but you should stay here, spend some time with your family.” She looked down at her feet as she spoke.

 

“Are you sure everything’s okay?” He asked again. The uneasy feeling in his stomach told him he already knew the answer to that question, he just couldn’t quite work out what had happened.

 

“Fine.” She nodded.

 

“Okay.” He said uncertainly, setting his glass down on the bar. “I’ve had more than enough of my family for one day so I’ll come back with you.”

 

“Okay.” She agreed, somewhat defeated. She had actually got a splitting headache, it wasn’t a total lie, brought on she imagined from her mind racing the entire evening trying to work out what everything meant and what she was supposed to do. All she wanted to do was take some Advil and lie in a dark room until it subsided, she hadn’t got it in her to get in an argument with Phillip.

 

The walk to the room was mercifully silent and she was immensely thankful. The pounding in her head had intensified to the point where she could barely bring herself to keep her eyes open to see where she was going. Everything seemed far too bright and it didn’t help that the stupid heels Ashley had convinced her to wear were pinching her feet with every step she took.

 

Phillip seemed to sense that she wasn’t okay, his hand firmly grasping her elbow to keep her upright as they walked down the hallway to their room. She was grateful, as much as she wanted to pull her arm away from him, for the fact that he knew her well enough to know she wasn’t okay.

 

“Come and sit down.” He said softly as he unlocked the door to their room, guiding her over to the bed and gently pushing her down. “You don’t look too good.”

 

“Wow, Thanks.” She rolled her eyes and winced. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a migraine, but she couldn’t say she’d missed them.

 

“You know I didn’t mean it like that.” He sighed. She tentatively opened an eye as she felt his fingertips skin across her ankle, then realised he was unbuckling the strap on her heels. The relief in her feet was instantaneous as he pulled them off and threw them aside.

 

He disappeared for a second, reappearing with a couple of Advil and some water. “Thanks.” She murmured, taking them from him. It really didn’t help her confusion about what he wanted from her when he was there like this, being all sweet and caring. She couldn’t even begin to think about it in that moment, her head hurt more than enough already. She gulped the Advil down.

 

Phillip rummaged around looking for her pyjamas as she sat on the edge of the bed with her eyes squeezed shut. She’d gone deathly pale, even under all the makeup and he wanted to ask her why she hadn’t said something sooner. He felt a pang of guilt, wondering if she’d stayed there because she felt like she had to for him.

 

“We need to get you out of that dress Anne, as gorgeous as you look.” He said quietly. And she did look incredible in it, an image he’d almost certainly never forget.

 

“Mmm.” She groaned. The idea of standing up was nauseating. She wasn’t even sure how Ashley had got her in to the dress in the first place never mind how she was supposed to get out of it. Surely she could just sleep in it?

 

“Do you want me to help you?” He asked quietly, his hands hovering near the zipper nervously. He felt as though he might be crossing some kind of line.

 

“Please.” She whispered. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t apologise. You’d do the same for me.” He whispered, sliding the zipper down. She shuffled a little on the edge of the bed until the bottom of the dress was free and he could pull it over her head. He quickly passed her her pyjamas. She pulled them on and flopped back on the bed with a sigh. He folded her dress and then tucked her in to bed.

 

“Thank you.” She mumbled as he climbed into bed beside her.

 

* * *

 

 

When he woke, the room still in darkness and the bed beside him cold and empty he had a moment of heart stopping panic. Then he noticed the balcony doors slightly ajar, the curtains blowing in the breeze and felt himself relax slightly in the knowledge that she hadn’t run off and left him _yet_.

 

He slipped out of bed and stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her. She was sitting cross legged on the sofa on the balcony, wrapped in a blanket. “Mind if I join you?” He asked quietly.

 

She visibly flinched at the sound of his voice. “Jeez.” She muttered, turning to look at him.

 

“Sorry.” He held his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I woke up and you were gone, I was worried.”

 

“I couldn’t get back to sleep.” She sighed, turning back to stare out at the ocean below them. It was deserted, the only sound the crashing of the waves on the shore. It was the most peaceful thing she’d ever seen.

 

“Are you feeling any better?” He asked, moving to sit beside her. She hadn’t told him to go away so he’d taken it to mean she didn’t mind.

 

She nodded. “Yes, Thanks. Sorry about that.”

 

“You don’t need to apologise.” He murmured.

 

She frowned, deep in thought and he would’ve given anything to be able to read her mind in that moment.

 

“It’s beautiful out here.” She whispered. “I’ve never seen so many stars.” She’d been surprised when she’d stepped out there just how many there were. It had been so long since she’d left the city she’d all but forgotten what it was like.

 

“It is.” He agreed. He wanted to ask what it was, there was clearly something that she wasn’t telling him, but he was afraid. Afraid that she’d push him away, that she’d confirm that she’d never want to be with him, that she might say she wanted to go home and he couldn’t take it. So instead he sat beside her quietly, listening to the waves.

 

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He was sitting about a foot away from her, staring straight out at the ocean looking deep in thought.

 

“What are we doing here Phillip?” She sighed, almost unaware that she’d spoken the words out loud until he looked at her.

 

“What do you mean?” He said slowly, his mind reeling as he tried to think of something to say. Was she talking about what he thought she was?

 

The uncertainty was clear on her face as she looked at him, searching his expression for some kind of clue what he might be thinking.

 

“I don’t… I don’t know what I was expecting from this week.” She mumbled. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come.”

 

He shifted closer to her, their knees brushing. “I’m really glad you did come with me.” He said softly.

 

She turned and looked back out at the ocean. The sun was just beginning to appear over the horizon, the sky slowly starting to turn a beautiful shade of pink and orange. For a moment she was mesmerised by the colours reflecting off the surface of the water.

 

“Yeah. It got you off the hook with your parents.” She sighed. “Glad I could help.”

 

“You know what’s not what I meant.” He shook his head, his hand slowly reaching out to take hers. She stiffened but didn’t pull away. “I couldn’t give a crap what they think.”

 

“Then why bother bringing me in the first place?” She frowned, turning to look at him.

 

“Because… because I wanted to spend some time with you.” His voice was a barely audible whisperer. “Away from the circus… away from… well, just the two of us without worrying about anyone else.”

 

Anne stared at him for a long moment, trying to take in what he was saying. “But… I… why?”

 

He laughed quietly. “Why do you think?”

 

“Honestly?” She sighed. “I don’t know.”

 

“I think you do.” He tightened his grip on her hand a fraction and she looked down at where their fingers were intertwined.

 

“I think I know what you’re trying to say.” She sighed. “But that’s not how it works.”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He frowned.

 

“Because there is no universe in which someone like me ends up with someone like you.” She sighed unhappily. “Because this is real life Phillip not some kind of fairy tale where we get to live happily ever after!”

 

His stomach dropped. “I thought you felt the same way.” He mumbled. Had he really misread everything that hadn’t happened since they’d been in Hawaii that badly?

 

“I did… I do…” she pulled her hand away from his. “I don’t know Phillip, but the thing I do know is there is no world in which this works.”

 

“Why are you so desperate to find a reason not to give this a chance?” He asked, a pleading edge to his voice. This wasn’t how he’d pictured this going at all.

 

“Because.” She said quietly, picking at a loose thread on her blanket. “When it all goes wrong, which inevitably it will, I’ll be the one who ends up getting hurt.”

 

“Why are you so desperate to convince yourself it won’t work?” He argued. “You’re not even giving me a chance! Have these last few days not shown you how great we could be together?”

 

She bit down on her bottom lip as it trembled slightly, willing herself not to cry- at least not in front of him anyway. “No one is going to accept us. I don’t think you realise that.”

 

“Does it matter?” He asked. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks!”

 

She stood up, walking to the edge of the balcony before turning back to look at him. “You’ve never had anyone look at you like that. You don’t understand it.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“The way your father looked at me. Like I was something he’d just scraped off the bottom of his shoe.” She sighed. “I don’t expect you to understand, you come from a completely different world.”

 

“My family are small minded people.” Phillip pulled at his hair in frustration, getting up and walking towards her. She didn’t move away from him, being backed up against the railings of the balcony she didn’t really have anywhere to go. He stopped when they were just inches apart and he could feel her breath on his face.

 

“It’s not just them.” She sighed unhappily. “Being here, it’s like being in some kind of bubble. It makes you think it’s possible, but when we get home you’re going to wake up and see that it’s not the way the world works. I need my job Phillip, the circus is my home. If this didn’t work out… I can’t risk it… I just… I can’t.” She stepped around him.

 

He caught her arm as she stepped past him. “Where are you going?”

 

“For a run or something, I need to clear my head.” She shrugged out of his grip. She absolutely should never have agreed to come with him, she just wished she’d realised this a bit earlier. She breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t follow her in to the room. She changed quickly, grabbed her headphones and ducked out before he could try and follow her.

 

She needed to think.

 

* * *

 

 

“Well isn’t that a sight for sore eyes.” He looked up from his breakfast to find his sister sitting down at the table opposite him. “You do know you’re supposed to eat it right? Doesn’t really have the same effect if you just push it round the plate.”

 

“Ha ha.” He retorted sarcastically, dropping the fork on to the plate.

 

“For someone who is on an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii with his girlfriend you’re not exactly a little ray of sunshine are you?” She frowned. “Phillip? What’s wrong?” She prompted when he didn’t say anything.

 

“I’ve done something really stupid Ash.” He groaned.

 

“Phillip.” She sighed. “Please tell me you’ve not screwed this up? I actually liked this one!”

 

He groaned. “Yeah, about that…”

 

She raised an eyebrow.

 

“I might’ve lied to you.” He sighed. “Anne’s not actually my girlfriend. We work together and she said she’d come with me to shut Mum and Dad up.”

 

Ashley rolled her eyes. “You’re even more of an idiot than I thought. Are you the only one that can’t see that girl is clearly in love with you?”

 

“You… but… what?” Phillip stuttered. None of it made any sense.

 

“Do I have to spell everything out for you?” Ashley sighed dramatically. “Why else did you think she offered to come with you?”

 

“A free trip to Hawaii?” Phillip offered.

 

“My god you’re more stupid than I thought.” She rolled her eyes at him again. “She offered for the same reason you said yes- she wanted to spend time with you! I’ve seen the way you two look at each other, why do you think I actually believed you she was your girlfriend this time?”

 

“I hate to ruin it for you.” He sighed. “But the whole reason I’m sat her on my own is because she said she wants nothing to do with me.”

 

Ashley looked taken aback for the briefest of moments. “Did she say why?”

 

“Because this isn’t some kind of fairytale where the two of us end up together.” He quoted miserably, picking up his coffee and realising it had long since gone cold. He put it back down on the table and looked up at his sister. “What do I do, Ash?”

 

“Did you ask her what she’s worried about?”

 

“What people will think, the way dad looked at her.” He sighed. “That we’re in a bubble here and once we’re back in the real world I’ll come to my senses and we won’t be able to work together anymore. There was a list.”

 

“That’s quite a list.” Ashley raised an eyebrow.

 

“Tell me about it.” He mumbled.

 

“Is she right to be?” She asked. He looked at her confused. “I mean I love you and all that Phillip, but up until now your reputation hasn’t exactly been… well… the kind of guy you want to risk everything for.”

 

“I was a different person back then.” He sighed.

 

“I know.” She squeezed his hand quickly. “But it’s gotta be there in the back of her head somewhere. She’s got valid concerns, you can’t just brush them aside.”

 

“So what am I supposed to?”

 

“Stop sitting here wallowing and go and find her! Go!”

  
  
  
  



	4. Part 4

She’d run for what felt like hours, the heat was stifling and her lungs burned with the need for oxygen but she still didn’t stop. She was hoping it was going to clear her head, but eventually she had to admit defeat- her legs unable to go on any longer and she came to a stop. That was when she’d spotted it. The big tree at the far end of the beach, secluded and peaceful. She’d climbed up it and settled herself on a branch without a second thought. She’d always found being high up off the ground comforting and since she didn’t have a trapeze handy this was going to have to do. 

 

She pulled her phone out and stared at it for a second. There were a couple of missed calls and texts from Phillip that she didn’t dare read. She contemplated phoning her brother for a second and then quickly thought better of it. In the end she settled for the one person she knew wouldn’t judge her. 

 

“Hi Lettie.” Anne greeted her as she picked up the phone, struggling to keep her voice light. 

 

“Anne? What’s wrong?” Lettie asked. The faint tremble in Anne’s voice hadn’t gone unnoticed. “Shouldn’t you be living it up in Hawaii?”

 

“I am. I was.” Anne sighed. “I think this might’ve been a really bad idea Lettie.”

 

“What did Carlyle do?” Lettie sighed. “Don’t tell me I’ve gotta come over there and kick his ass. I will, but I really don’t have the time to get to Hawaii and back before the show tonight.”

 

Anne laughed in spite of herself. “He hasn’t done anything. It’s me. I let myself get caught up in the moment. I might’ve underestimated how hard it would be to play the part of his girlfriend knowing that it’ll never happen.” She hesitated for a moment. “I really like him Lettie.” She breathed. It was the first time she’d had to actually say the words out loud. 

 

“I know, I’ve seen the way you look at him.” The smile was audible in Lettie’s voice. “We all have.”

 

“Oh god.” Anne sighed. She obviously wasn’t as discreet as she’d thought. “What do I do? He’s bloody Phillip Carlyle for God’s sake. He’s never going to look at someone like me. He doesn’t really want to be with me anyway. He’s just caught up in the moment being out here. This isn’t exactly real life.”

 

“I’ve seen the way you look at him Anne, but I’ve also seen the way he looks at you.” Lettie said softly. 

 

“You… wait.. what?” Anne’s mind struggled to catch up. “What are you saying Lettie?”

 

“I’m saying that I’ve seen him standing there watching you perform every night, the way his eyes follow you across that stage and he never looks at anyone else. You’re always the first person he goes to find when he needs help with something. How many nights have you spent holed up in that office with him?”

 

“I-“ Anne didn’t know what to say. She’d never thought of it like that. “Look at me though Lettie, I’m not exactly the kind of girl someone like him ends up with.”

 

“Anne.” Lettie scolded. “Stop it.”

 

“Think what his family would say.” Anne argued. “You should’ve seen the way his father looked at me.”

 

“We’re talking about the same Phillip Carlyle right? The one who told his family to disown him if they wanted to because he was going to go and join the circus anyway.” Lettie asked. “Because do you really think he’d let what they might think stop him?”

 

“I don’t… I don’t know.” Anne whispered. 

 

“I think the real problem here is you’re having this conversation with me and not Phillip.” 

 

Anne’s stomach flipped. “Do you really think that’s a good idea? Given that I’m kind of stuck in Hawaii with him for the rest of the week. Things are bad enough as it is.”

 

“What do you mean?” Lettie frowned. 

 

“We um… we did sort of have half of the conversation.” Anne admitted. 

 

“And?” Lettie prompted when Anne didn’t go any further. 

 

“And I ran away and I’m hiding up a tree.” Anne admitted in a guilty whisper. 

 

Lettie laughed. “Of course you are.” 

 

“What am I supposed to do?” Anne whispered. 

 

“Well sweetheart.” Lettie paused for a moment, thinking. “I’ve watched you two dance around each other long enough. If you’re honest you know things are never going to be the same between the two of you after this anyway. What have you got to lose?”

 

Anne’s stomach flipped again. “My job? My friends?  _ Him? _ ”

 

“Anne.” Lettie said softly. “You can believe me when I say that boy isn’t going anywhere.”

 

“You don’t know that. Neither does he.” Anne sighed. “I mean seriously Lettie, look at him. People like that don’t end up with people like me.”

 

“You need to stop being so negative about yourself.” Lettie scolded. “He’d be lucky to have you and he knows it. Anyway I don’t hear you denying that you actually want to be with him.”

 

“I’m not.” Anne whispered. 

 

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” Lettie retorted. “So, do what you need to do. It might not be easy but are you going to be happy wondering what might’ve been?”

 

“You’re really good at this.” Anne giggled. 

 

“Years of practice.” Lettie sighed dramatically. “So do whatever you need to do, sit in that tree for another couple of hours if you need to, just to make sure you’re really sure before you talk to him. But you shouldn’t have any doubt in your head about whether he loves you. Everyone can see it.”

 

“Oh shit.” Anne whispered. 

 

“What? Is everything okay?” Lettie sounded worried. 

 

“He’s coming this way.” Anne gulped. 

 

Lettie laughed. “Good luck kid. Let me know how it goes!” 

 

* * *

 

He’d scoured what felt like every inch of the hotel trying to find her and for a moment he wondered if she’d actually run off home rather than just going for a run. Eventually he’d spotted her, halfway up a tree right at the far end of the beach of all places. 

 

“I’ve been looking for you.” He said softly as she looked down at him. 

 

“I might’ve been hiding from you.” She admitted. 

 

“Yeah. I figured that one you.” He laughed quietly. “Mind if I join you?”

 

She nodded, patting the empty space on the branch next to her. He struggled for a second to work out the best way up there. “How did you even get up here?” He asked as he clambered rather ungracefully up to sit next to her. 

 

“Years of trapeze and dance training remember?” She struggled to hide her grin. 

 

“Right.” He smiled ruefully. “Of course. Might’ve found you earlier if I’d actually thought to look up.”

 

“You did walk right by actually.” She admitted. 

 

He groaned. “I’ve walked round the entire hotel at least twice. You could’ve helped me out.”

 

“I know.” She said softly. “But I wasn’t sure I was ready to be having this conversation.” She’d run until her legs couldn’t carry her any further, her lungs burned with the need for oxygen and it hadn’t helped to clear her head at all. She still wasn’t sure even now what she wanted. Well, she was, she just couldn’t convince her head to agree with what her heart wanted even after what Lettie had said. 

 

He didn’t say anything for a moment and they just say there in silence, listening to the waves crashing on to the beach. “I’m sorry.” He said quietly. “What I did… it wasn’t fair to ambush you like that.”

 

She snorted with laughter. “I wouldn’t go as far as calling in an ambush.”

 

“You know what I mean.” He sighed. 

 

“Yeah. I do.” She agreed, the laughter dying down. “You just… you took me by surprise. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it…”

 

“Oh really?” He grinned. He had too, so many times. 

 

She felt her cheeks flush. “But I’m not sure it changes anything.”

 

“Look.” He attempted to shuffle a bit closer to her, wobbling precariously on the branch for a moment. “If this is about… um… about the drinking and the parties… I’m not that person anymore.”

 

She turned and stared at him. “Why would you think that?”

 

“Well. It turns out my sister is the new president of the Anne Wheeler Fan Club and she thinks you’re right to be worried.” He grimaced. “I’m not proud of who I was back then and if I could go back and change it I would. But I’d also like to think you know me well enough to know I’m not the same person who used to go out drinking and come home with a different woman every night.”

 

She snorted with laughter, unable to stop herself. “Sorry.” She choked. 

 

He raised an eyebrow at her rather unexpected reaction. “Something funny?”

 

“It’s just…” her lips twitched as she struggled to stop herself from laughing. “The idea of you picking up all these women… I mean I don’t blame them, look at you, but you’re so clueless I’m surprised you noticed they were flirting with you.”

 

“I-“ he opened his mouth to speak and then realised he had nothing to say. 

 

“I mean I spent weeks hiding from you convinced you’d take one look at me and know but then I watched you with all those customers and dancers flirting with you and realised you’re absolutely clueless.” She rolled her eyes. 

 

“So you do like me.” He grinned triumphant. 

 

“I never said I didn’t.” She muttered. “Phillip it’s not that I don’t lo-“ the word died on her lips as she realised what she’d been about to say. 

 

“Not that you don’t?” He prompted. 

 

“Not that I don’t want to be with you.” She rephrased. “Did you listen to a word I said earlier?”

 

“Yes.” He scooted a little closer to her, keeping his balance this time, so their thighs were touching. “But I’m hoping you didn’t mean it.”

 

“I did.” She lied. “We can’t. I can’t.”

 

“What is it you’re afraid of?” He asked. 

 

She turned to look at him, taken aback for a moment by how close he was sitting. His blue eyes searching hers for some kind of answers. “This.” She whispered. 

 

He raised an eyebrow. 

 

“I’m afraid of how I feel already, that no matter what happens we’re never going to be able to go back to how things used to be after this.” She murmured. “I’m afraid that one day you’re going to realise that I’m not some doctor or a lawyer or whatever those other girls are and you’ll  _ regret _ me.”

 

“I would never do that.” He answered quickly, shaking his head. The fact that she even thought that might be possible seemed ridiculous. 

 

“You say that now.” She sighed unhappily. 

 

“Anne.” He moved his hand gently up to capture her chin, turning her to look at him. “All I have been able to think about since you swung up to that balcony and I first saw you is how much I want to wake up with you every morning. I want it to be you I’m going home with after every show and telling all my ideas too. It’s not a secret, I’ve not tried to hide it from you.”

 

“That’s not fair.” She frowned. 

 

“What’s not fair?” 

 

“You can’t just say stuff like that.” She ran her fingers through her hair trying to think what to say. In hindsight climbing up a tree had been a terrible idea because now she didn’t have anywhere to go. 

 

“Why not?” He asked. “I meant every word of it.”

 

“Because I’m confused enough as it is!” She cried. “The last thing I need is you saying all this stuff and convincing me you feel the same way I do! How am I supposed to be sensible after all this?”

 

“So you do feel the same.” A slow smile spread across his face and she felt herself smile in spite of everything. 

 

“Did you ever doubt it?”

 

“Well.” He swallowed. “I was pretty sure at one point today when I couldn’t find you that you’d got on a plane back to New York.” He was only half joking. 

 

“Nope.” She sighed, her head flopped to the side and came to rest against his shoulder. “I just needed some space to clear my head.”

 

“I’m not saying it’s all going to be plain sailing but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering what might’ve been if I’d been brave enough to tell you how I actually felt.”

 

“Have you been talking to Lettie?” She laughed. 

 

He looked at her, confused. “No… have you?”

 

She nodded sheepishly. “I was hoping she might set me straight.”

 

“Oh?” Phillip raised an eyebrow. “What did she have to say?”

 

“That she’s watched us two dance around each other for long enough.” Anne smiled. 

 

Phillip laughed. “Am I that bad at hiding my emotions?”

 

Anne smiled, her hand coming down to hold his. “We both are apparently.”

 

He linked his fingers with hers, his head resting on top of hers. He was almost afraid to ask the question on his lips for fear that the answer might not be what he wanted to hear. He could face the idea of not knowing either though. “So.” He said slowly. “What are we doing here?” He asked, repeating her earlier question back to her. 

 

“One day at a time?” She suggested, sitting up to look at him. She chewed her lip nervously. 

 

“One day at a time.” He agreed. His hand came up to cradle her face and very very slowly, silently asking her permission, he leaned forward to brush his lips against hers. 

 

When they both pulled back she grinned at him, unable to suppress it. How many times had she imagined that moment? He grinned back at her, and then in the blink of an eye she’d jumped down out of the tree and was standing on the beach below looking up at him. 

 

“Well are you coming?” She asked when he didn’t move. 

 

He looked down at the ground below and then back at her. He was sure it wasn’t so high when he’d climbed up there. “I think sometimes you forget not everyone is used to jumping off stupidly high things.” He grumbled, bracing himself to jump. 

 

She laughed as he landed in a bit of a heap at her feet. “We can work on that. I’m an excellent teacher.”

 

His eyes opened a fraction wider with alarm. “You’re not trying to kill me off are you?”

 

She laughed. “I think we’ve established that I’d rather you didn’t go anywhere any time soon.”

 

“Good.” He grinned, holding out his hand. 

 

She slipped her hand into his without hesitation. Something about it felt so right and she was struggling to remember her earlier reservations. They were still there though, in the back of her mind and she tried not to dwell on it and just enjoy the moment and be happy. 

 

One day at a time she reminded herself as he led her back up the beach to the hotel. 

 

_ One day at a time.  _

  
  
  
  



	5. Part Five

They sat out on the balcony when they got back to their room, next to each other on the sofa, knees brushing. He’d been quiet since they’d been back at the room, the silence only punctuated by the occasional ping of his phone. She tried to concentrate on reading her book but she hadn’t even managed to read a single page. She wanted to ask what he was thinking, what he was grinning at but she stopped herself. How was she supposed to stop herself from massively overthinking the conversation they’d had on the beach earlier? She’d already run through it in her head hundreds of times, trying to decipher some kind of hidden meaning in what he said. 

 

“Right!” Phillip exclaimed, suddenly getting up. Anne flinched at the sudden movement. 

 

“What?” She looked at him curiously, shutting her book and throwing it on to the coffee table. 

 

“You need to go and get ready!” He smiled. 

 

She frowned, mentally running through the itinerary for the wedding trying to work out what she’d forgotten. She was sure there wasn’t anything on there for the two days before the rehearsal dinner. “Ready for what?”

 

“Dinner.” He held his hand out and pulled her up off the sofa. 

 

She stared at him blankly. “Why are you speaking like I know what you’re talking about?”

 

He laughed. “It’s a surprise. Go and get ready, we’ve got plenty of time.”

 

She frowned at him again. “Do I need to dress up?” She hesitated in the doorway, trying to work out what she was going to wear. She didn’t own enough nice clothes to keep going out with Phillip’s family. She wished suddenly that she’d had the chance to go shopping before they’d come. 

 

“Wear whatever you like, you’ll look gorgeous.” He said softly. 

 

Anne felt her cheeks flush under the intensity of his gaze. “I um… I guess I’ll go shower and get ready then?” She chewed her lip nervously as she looked up at him. 

 

He nodded. “I’ll be here waiting.”

 

* * *

 

He let out a low whistle as she appeared in the doorway to the balcony. “You look great.” He smiled. She was wearing a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, the sleeveless white blouse she was wearing floated gently in the breeze. Her hair hung in loose curls around her face. 

 

“Thanks.” She mumbled as he crossed the balcony. “You don’t look too bad yourself.” He’d changed while she’d been in the shower, his shorts and t-shirt swapped for a pair of black jeans and a burgundy button down shirt. 

 

“Are you sure it’s not too casual?” She asked nervously. “Your dad already doesn’t like me I don’t want to give him any more reason.”

 

“Who said anything about my parents being there?” He grinned mischievously, his blue eyes twinkling. 

 

“What are you up to?” She asked skeptically. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she was suddenly irrationally nervous. 

 

He took her hand, leading her back into their room and then closing the balcony doors. He turned to face her and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “I feel like we skipped some steps, so I’m taking you on a date like I should’ve done a long time ago.”

 

“Oh.” The air left her lungs all at once, stomach curling with anticipation and nerves. It was stupid and irrational, it wasn’t like they’d never spent time alone just the two of them. They’d spent many evenings eating take out on his office floor going over things for the show, but there was something very different about this. 

 

He struggled to read her expression and work out what she was thinking. “Unless… um… unless you don’t want to and then we can-“

 

“Phillip.” She cut in. 

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Shut up.” She grinned. 

 

“Got it.” He laughed quietly, leading her out of the room by her hand. “Let’s go!” There was a child like excitement in his voice and she couldn’t help but wonder what on Earth he’d got planned. 

* * *

 

It took a good couple of minutes for her to be able to form a coherent sentence when they reached their destination. She stared at him for a long moment, eyes wide and bottom lip trembling. “You did all of this for….me?” She whispered in disbelief. 

 

He nodded, squeezing her hand. “I wish I’d done it a long time ago too.”

 

Tucked away on the edge of the beach was a little wooden gazebo she’d not spotted before. It was sheltered by the trees and being tucked away at the far end of the beach was quiet and peaceful. The four pillars of the gazebo were wrapped in fairy lights that cast shadows over the picnic blanket spread out on the ground as the sun began to dip. Candles flickered around the outside providing some dim lighting. She could hear music playing quietly from somewhere, although when she looked she couldn’t see any speakers to work out quite where it was coming from. 

 

The whole thing was magical. She pinched herself, wondering if this was another one of those dreams she’d been having for months. 

 

She turned to look at Phillip again, tears filling her eyes. “Thank you.” She whispered. 

 

“Hey.” He frowned, wiping a tear that rolled slowly down her cheek away with his thumb. “I didn’t mean to make you cry!”

 

She shook her head, blinking rapidly in an attempt to disperse the tears. “I’m not… well I am… I don’t know why. This is the most perfect thing anyone’s ever done for me.” She leant her face into his hand which had paused against her cheek, cradling her face. 

 

“Come on.” He said after a long moment passed during which neither of them made any attempt to move. “Let’s sit down, I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”

 

“You know.” She smiled as they settled themselves on the picnic blanket. “I’m seriously impressed you managed to pull all this off.”

 

He looked up at her sheepishly. “It was my idea but I might’ve had quite a lot of help from Ashley to actually pull it off.”

 

She laughed. “You could’ve kept quiet there and taken all the credit. Your poor sister- it’s her wedding she’s not supposed to be running around after us!”

 

“I know.” Phillip agreed. “But there’s no stopping her, believe me. She’s rather fond of you apparently and doesn’t trust me not to screw it up.”

 

Anne laughed, stretching out on the picnic blanket, her head came to rest against his shoulder and she peeked up at him. “She can relax because you’re doing a pretty good job so far. Thank you.”

 

He grinned back down at her, clearly pleased with himself. “I really wish I’d done this a long time ago. Still, I suppose I can make up for it now.”

 

“Did you mean what you said earlier?” She asked hesitantly. She didn’t want to ruin the moment but she was still struggling to wrap her head around the shift in their relationship. It all seemed far too good to be true. There was more than a little part of her that was still quietly worried that when they got home and reality sunk in he’d realise he had made a mistake. Would it be wrong of her to just try and enjoy it while it lasted?

 

“All of it.” He nodded, his fingertips tracing up her arm leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. He sat up and started to rummage in the picnic basket, Ashley had done an amazing job of convincing the hotel to pack them an amazing picnic. It was less of a picnic and more of a gourmet meal he realised as he started to unpack it. “But I guess you’re talking about something specific?” He poured her a glass of wine and handed it to her. 

 

She gulped at the wine nervously, his gaze never leaving her. “That you knew when I swung up and saw you on that balcony?” She whispered hesitantly. 

 

He nodded. “I’m surprised you couldn’t see it on my face.”

 

She laughed quietly. “It was a bit of a gormless look.” 

 

He pretended to be offended, clutching at his chest as if in pain. “In my defence P.T. didn’t really give me any warning that someone might come flying through the air at me.”

 

“Does that man ever give anyone any warning about anything?” 

 

“No.” Phillip agreed. “Although he did warn me that W.D. would kill me if I kept looking at you.” He cringed at the memory. 

 

Anne raised an eyebrow at the new information. “When was this?”

 

“Maybe a week after I started.” He admitted sheepishly. “Apparently I didn’t do a very good job of hiding how I felt.”

 

“So basically everyone knew apart from us.” She laughed 

 

He nodded in agreement. “It seems that way.”

 

“Well.” She leaned towards him, hesitating for a moment as I’d silently asking his permission. “Best we make the most of this now.” She whispered, leaning forward a tiny bit more to close the distance between them. 

 

As his lips brushed hers it quickly became a lot less gentle than it had earlier, their frantic need for each other taking over after months of waiting. Without even realising Anne had somehow positioned herself so she was straddling his lap, her knees either side of his legs and her fingers twisted into his hair as he deepened the kiss. 

 

It was only when his hands started to roam, sliding down to the curve of her ass to pull her in towards him and he felt her fingers on the buttons of his shirt that he remembered where they were. 

 

He pulled away, although it pained him, earning a dissatisfied grunt from Anne. “Anne. There’s people everywhere.” His words were muffled against her skin. 

 

Her arms linked behind his neck and she made no attempt to move from her position on his lap. “Let them watch.” She winked, laughing as he swallowed visibly. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding…. I’m starving and this looks amazing.”

 

She settled herself back on the picnic blanket, laughing as Phillip shifted uncomfortably trying to adjust the front of his trousers to make himself more comfortable. 

 

“I don’t know what you’re laughing at.” He grumbled. “That wasn’t fair.”

 

She laughed, reaching for an olive and popping it in her mouth. “Now we’re even.”

 

“Even?” He frowned. 

 

“You said all that stuff to me earlier about wanting to wake up with me every morning.”

 

“I meant every word.” He interjected. 

 

“I know… I think.” She smiled. “But I was trying to be sensible and you didn’t help me.”

 

“If you being sensible means that you wouldn’t be sitting here with me now then I’m really glad.”

 

“Me too.” She agreed. 

 

There was a long silence as they both picked at the food, deep in their own thoughts. Phillip started to pack the remnants of the picnic away. Eventually he finished and Anne flopped back dramatically, her head resting in Phillip’s lap. “I’m never moving again.” She sighed happily. 

 

He laughed. “I could get on board with that.”

 

“Mmm.” She grinned at him sleepily. “Can we just stay here forever?”

 

“Don’t tempt me.” He sighed. “I quite like it here in the bubble.”

 

“Me too.” She whispered. For a moment the overwhelming fear of what might happen when they got home gripped her stomach again. He felt her tense. 

 

“Hey.” He whispered softly, gently turning her to face him. “I meant what I said, this is what I want. You. I’m not going anywhere. I promised and I meant it.”

 

She didn’t say anything for a moment, just smiling at him happily. “This is better than I ever could have imagined.”

 

“You’ve been imaging it have you?” He smirked. 

 

Her cheeks flushed. “Haven’t you?”

 

He nodded. “Probably too much.”

 

“And?”

 

“Reality is definitely so much better.” He grinned, leaning down to kiss her again. 

 

She pulled away after a few seconds, lingering just a few inches from him so he could still feel her breath on his face. “Dance with me.” She grinned, clambering to her feet and holding out her hand to pull him to his feet. “Please? I love this song.” He strained his ears, listening to Perfect by Ed Sheeran playing in the background. She did love it, he knew that because she’d been playing it constantly while she was practicing- so much so the entire circus troupe knew all the words. 

 

She looked at him hopefully and there was no way he could say no to her. “I can’t dance.” He sighed, getting to his feet. 

 

“What do you mean you can’t dance?” She frowned. His arms wrapped around her and she linked hers behind his neck, pulling herself closer to him. “What do you think you do every night when you go out and perform?”

 

“Oh I can dance like that, sort of any way.” He laughed. “But this… ask Ashley my mom signed us both up for dance lessons when we were kids and I got kicked out after a week.”

 

Anne struggled to stifle her laughter as the two of them stood swaying in time to the music. “What did you do?”

 

“Oh I’ll let Ashley tell you that one. She’ll kill me if she doesn’t get her big chance to embarrass me. It’s one of her favourite stories.”He rolled his eyes. 

 

“I’m asking her first thing tomorrow.” Anne smirked. 

 

“I don’t doubt it.” He laughed, his arms tightening around her waist. Her head rested gently against his shoulder as they continued to slowly sway. 

 

“Thank you.” She whispered as the song ended. “For making this so magical.”

 

“I’ve made a bit of an error here and set the bar a bit high really.” He laughed. 

 

She nodded. “I’ve got expectations now Carlyle!” She laughed. “Come on, let’s go to bed. We’ve got a lot on tomorrow.”

 

He groaned, releasing her from his arms and taking hold of her hand instead. “Can’t we just ditch my family?”

 

She jabbed him in the ribs. “If I didn’t like your sister so much I might say yes. We have all morning right? We can go and do something fun?”

 

He nodded. “What did you have in mind?”

 

“I don’t know.” She grinned. “Leave it with me.”

  
  



	6. Part Six

“Right, that’s it!” Anne announced, standing on the balcony hands on hips glaring at Phillip who was frantically tapping away on his laptop.

 

“What?” He barely glanced up as she sat down at the table on their balcony beside him.

 

She craned her neck around to look at the screen. As she’d suspected he was emailing P.T. yet again. She reached over and closed the top on his laptop, almost shutting his fingers in it. 

 

“Hey!” He protested.

 

“Hand it over. I’m keeping this and your phone for the day.” She ordered, scooping the laptop up off the table and standing with one hand out waiting for his phone. “Come on.”

 

He reached into his pocket and fished out his phone. He knew from previous experience he wasn’t going to win an argument with Anne. “Am I at least allowed to ask why?” He grumbled.

 

She laughed, disappearing into the room and locking the phone and the laptop in the safe. She re-appeared a second later and he was still sitting there with the same look of confusion. “Because…” She held her hand out to him and pulled him up out of the chair. “You don’t seem to be capable of actually taking a vacation and letting yourself relax. I’ve decided to stage an intervention.”

 

“Oh really?” He laughed. “Can I not just have my phone for five minutes to finish that email and then I’m all yours?”

 

“Nope.” She shook her head, dragging him towards the door. “I told P.T. what I was doing, he’s quite excited to have a day without you bothering him. Besides, we have places to be or we’re going to miss it.”

 

“Miss what?” He asked, she was walking so fast he was almost jogging beside her trying to keep up.

 

“Your surprise.” She grinned, glancing over at him. The excitement was written all over her face and he wondered for a second what on earth she could’ve planned for them.

* * *

 

“Are you serious?” He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

 

“Now’s not the time to tell me if you’ve got a fear of boats, dolphins or water.” She joked. “You set the bar pretty high with that picnic, I didn’t want to disappoint.”

 

He laughed. “This is amazing. I’ve always wanted to go on one of these.”

 

“Me too.” She admitted. “So maybe it’s not entirely selfless?”

 

“It’s perfect.” He grinned, leaning in to kiss her.

 

“Better than sitting in the room staring at your laptop all day?” She joked.

 

He rolled his eyes at her. “I think you know me well enough to know I don’t do well with leaving things to other people. Even P.T.”

 

Anne nodded. “You’re going to have to learn to at some point. I’m not going to spend the rest of my life watching you stare at your computer and not listening to a word I say.” She teased.

 

The reference she’d just made to them spending the rest of their lives together suddenly dawned on him. He wondered for a second if she even realised she’d said it. “You have my full permission to drag me out and make me stop working.” 

 

“Good.” She grinned. “Now let’s go see some dolphins!” She took his hand as they boarded the boat.

 

* * *

 

“Phillip look!” Anne squealed with delight, pointing a few meters in front of them at a small group of fins that could just be seen breaking the water. 

 

“I see them.” He grinned, his hand coming up to shield his eyes from the sun. “This is amazing, thank you.”

 

She turned to face him, her grin matching his own. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her towards him. “Having fun?” She asked, resting her head against his shoulder as they continued to watch the dolphins playing in the water. 

 

“More than I could’ve imagined.” He grinned, pressing his lips to her forehead. “This whole trip has been amazing.”

 

“You’ve barely looked up from that laptop since we’ve been here.” She nudged his ribs with her elbow. 

 

A look of guilt flashed across his face. “I’m sorry, really. I just… the idea that the show might fail… it terrifies me.”

 

“Should I be worried?” She frowned, her attention turning away from the water. “I thought things were going great?”

 

He shook his head. “They are. I just… Well I don’t even know. It’s just P.T. leaving me too it like that… he’s worked so hard to build all this and I don’t want to be the one who ruins it all.” He admitted. 

 

“Hey.” She elbowed him again gently. He managed a half smile. “Do you really think he would’ve left you in charge if he didn’t think you could do it?”

 

“I guess.” He shook his head as if trying to clear it. “Anyway, enough of that. We’ve still got a couple more days of vacation left. We should enjoy it while we can.”

 

She nodded, a slow smile crossing her face. “Unless we just stay here forever?” She suggested. “I like it here.”

 

“I love it here.” He agreed. “I really wish we could. We could come back though? For a real vacation?”

 

Her eyes lit up. “Could we? I can’t believe it’s gone so quick.”

 

“If we both survive the wedding tomorrow we will definitely come back.” He laughed. “I need some practice at taking a vacation apparently and I like having you all to myself.”

 

She turned and kissed him gently. “Me too.” She smiled. “Not worrying about what W.D. might do to you when we get back are you?”

 

He froze for a moment, his eyes wide. It wasn’t even something he’d considered. “Well I wasn’t… until you said that. Should I be worried?”

 

She couldn’t help but laugh at the look on his face. “It’ll be fine. You leave him to me.” If she was being honest she was pretty sure her brother knew. If he hadn’t known how she felt before she left for Hawaii she was sure Lettie had probably told him what had happened. Hopefully they’d all just be happy for the two of them. 

 

“That’s not all that reassuring.” He laughed. 

 

She rolled her eyes at him. “It’s W.D. he’s not  _ that  _ scary.”

 

Phillip raised an eyebrow. “Maybe not for you.”

 

“He’ll be happy as long as I’m happy.” She smiled. “And I am… really, really happy.”

 

“Good.” His words were muffled against her lips as he kissed her. They both turned their attention back to the water, his arms staying where they were wrapped around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. 

 

* * *

 

“So what do you want to do for dinner?” He asked as they walked back up the beach to their room. “I think there’s a couple of restaurants we haven’t tried?”

 

“Would you be upset if I said I kinda want to sit on the balcony in my pyjamas and eat a pizza?” She laughed. “This vacationing thing is kinda exhausting it turns out.”

 

“I know right?” He stifled a yawn. “That sounds pretty perfect to me.”

 

She slipped her hand into his as the walked. “I’m still not giving you your laptop back.” She joked. 

 

“I know.” He rolled his eyes, holding the door open for her as they walked back into the lobby. “Maybe you should keep it? How much damage can P.T. do in three days anyway?”

 

Anne raised an eyebrow at him. “Well…”

 

“Yeah I know. I realised as soon as I said it.” Phillip laughed. “I’m probably better off not knowing.”

 

“Good call.” She nodded. “Something for you to look forward to when we get back.”

 

“I’m just not thinking about it.” He shook his head. “I’m looking forward to another couple of days of this before we have to go back to real life. I like it in this bubble.”

 

“The bubble is good.” She agreed. “I’m excited for the wedding tomorrow though.”

 

“Yeah, James seems nice and Ash seems happy. I should thank her really…” he mused as they unlocked the door to their room. 

 

“Oh?” 

 

“Well….” he paused to shut the door behind them. “If she hadn’t been so hell bent on getting married halfway across the country then we wouldn’t be here right now and I wouldn’t be doing this.” He stepped towards her, his arms going around her to pull her against him as he kissed her. 

 

“You’re right.” Anne breathed as his lips moved to her neck. “We really should thank her.”

 

“Later.” He murmured against her skin. “I’ve got other plans for now.”

 

“Oh really?” She laughed as he walked them backwards until the back of her knees hit the bed and they both fell backwards. 

 

He pulled back a fraction of an inch, an amused smile on his face. “Lots of plans.” He whispered, brushing his lips against hers. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot.”

 

“Me too.”

  
  
  
  
  



	7. Part Seven

“Anne are you nearly ready?” Phillip called through the bathroom door, checking his watch again. They were cutting it fine for the rehearsal dinner and he knew from previous experience what his sister was like when people were late.

 

“Yeah, I’m coming hang on.” She mumbled, finishing applying her mascara. She turned and looked at herself in the mirror again, brushing a stray curl back in the right direction. She smoothed her dress down and turned to open the bathroom door. 

 

Phillip let out a low whistle. “You look amazing.” His eyes raked up the length of her body, meeting her eyes. “I’m a very lucky man.” The purple dress was the same colour as her costume for the show, sitting just off her shoulder and the skirt floating down to just above her knee. 

 

“Thanks.” She blushed. “Can you zip me up?” She gestured to her back, turning around so he could reach the zip. 

 

“I could.” He pulled her flush against him, his lips against her ear. “But I prefer to be helping you out of your clothes rather than in to them.” She felt his fingers hesitate at the base of her spine as he took hold of the zipper.

 

She swallowed audibly, his fingers brushing against her skin and leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. It should’ve been embarrassing really, quite how much she wanted him, but she couldn’t have cared less. She sighed in contentment as his lips found her neck. “Phillip.” She interrupted begrudgingly. “I thought you said we were going to be late?”

 

His lips stilled against her skin. After a moment he tugged the zipper of her dress up but made no attempt to move, his hands linking around her waist. “We really should go.” He murmured. “Ashley will kill me.”

 

“Maybe you should let go of me then so we can go?” She laughed. 

 

“Fine.” He grumbled rather begrudgingly, releasing her from his arms and taking her hand instead. “You do look amazing though.”

 

“You don’t look too bad yourself.” She winked, tugging gently on his tie. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you all dressed up.”

 

He pulled a face as they left their room. “I hate it, feels like it’s strangling me.” He pulled at it to readjust it. “Do you know what this whole week has made me realise?”

 

“What?” She raised an eyebrow at him, reaching out to push the button to call the elevator. 

 

“How glad I am I’ve only got one sister and I’m not going to have to go through all this again.” He laughed. “I mean I love Ash and I’m really glad we got to do this…. but this much time with my family? It feels like it should be punishment for something.”

 

“They seem okay?” Anne offered hesitantly. Mercifully other than her trip to the spa she hadn’t come in to contact with his parents much at all. 

 

“Well…” Phillip laughed quietly, pulling her into the elevator as it arrived “You’re about to spend all night sat at a table with them so maybe reserve judgement on that for the moment?”

 

“Oh god.” She whispered, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. “What if I say something stupid? What if they don’t like me?”

 

He turned to face her as the elevator doors closed. “Breathe.” He reminded, squeezing her hand. “You’ll be fine. My mom loves you, so does Ash. My dad doesn’t even like me so I wouldn’t even bother trying.”

 

“I can’t remember any of the stuff you told me on the plane!” She was getting frantic now, the idea of being caught out by his parents was terrifying. “What if they figure out that you just brought me here to keep them quiet and-“

 

“Anne.” He put a finger up to her lips to stop her. “I really don’t care.” 

 

“But…” she followed him out of the elevator uncertainly as they arrived in the lobby. 

 

“That might’ve been the idea when we first got here but none of that matters now does it?” He reached out and took her hand again. “I’m enjoying being here with  _ you  _ not the person you came up with to try and impress my parents. Besides I need them to get to know you because I’m not planning on letting you go any time soon which means you’ll get to suffer through a whole load more of these family events.” He smiled, squeezing her hand reassuringly. 

 

She took a deep breath, nodding slowly. “Okay?”

 

“Just okay?” He laughed. They started walking again, heading in the direction of the beach where the dinner was being held. 

 

“I don’t know what to say Phillip. Part of me is freaking out about this whole thing still and then you go and say things like that and I have to pinch myself to remind me this isn’t some kind of dream.” She mumbled. “You can’t just say things like that if you don’t mean it.”

 

“I mean it. You know I do.” He said softly. “I’ll keep reminding you every day if I need to.”

 

She laughed. “You might have to do that. It just feels like some kind of weird dream… I’m here in Hawaii and I’m with you and everything’s so….”

 

“So….?” He prompted. 

 

“Amazing.” She sighed. “I’m just worried once we get back things will be different.”

 

He was quiet for a moment as they walked hand in hand down the candlelit path to the beach. He could hear the music playing in the distance already and he wondered for a second what on Earth his sister had got planned. He stopped for a second and turned to look at Anne. 

 

“I don’t know what things will be like when we get back, we’ll have some figuring out to do I guess… but what I do know is that as long as I get to spend everyday with you it’ll be great- even if we won’t be in Hawaii and I’m going to have to fix all the damage P.T. has done in a week.”

 

She grinned back at him. “Let’s just enjoy these last couple of days and we’ll worry about it when we get back?” She suggested. 

 

“Deal.” He nodded, kissing her softly. When she attempted to deepen the kiss he took a step back. She looked at him questioningly. “We’re late enough as it is and I hate to start something I can’t finish.” He whispered in her ear as they walked the last few steps down to the beach. 

 

“Oh.” Was all she could manage, her mind wandering to all the ways they could finish what they’d started once the dinner was over. 

* * *

The little clearing in the trees where the tables and a small stage had been set up was beautiful and she found herself looking straight past the stage that had been set up for people to give speeches and looking at all the stars she could see beyond instead. 

 

She was sitting next to Phillip’s Mom. His dad was the other side and thankfully hadn’t tried to make any kind of conversation with her. The other people sat at the table were, if she’d managed to remember them right from the meet and greet, Phillip’s aunts and uncles. They were all polite enough but she could see them all trying to work out quite what Phillip was doing with her. She tried not to dwell on it. 

 

Phillip snapped her out of her daydream, suddenly getting to his feet. “Where are you going?” She frowned, suddenly alarmed that he seemed to be about to leave her there with half of his family. 

 

“This is my big chance to embarrass my little sister.” He grinned wickedly. “My whole life has been building up to this.”

 

“Phillip.” His Mom turned in her chair to glare at him. “Don’t you dare.”

 

He laughed, kissing Anne on the cheek and then rummaging in his pocket to find his speech. “Don’t worry mother, I wouldn’t dare.” He laughed, threading his way through the tables to get to the stage. 

 

Anne watched as he climbed up the couple of steps and adjusted the microphone, looking out at the sea of people in front of him. He caught her eye for a second and smiled. 

 

“Ladies, Gentlemen and anyone who might have snuck in for a free meal, my name is Phillip and I am the brother of the bride. It is my privilege to make the first speech.  At least I thought it was a privilege until I realised that I’m actually the warm up act for the groom and the best man….

  
I would firstly like to thank everyone for coming, we have guests who have travelled in from far and wide including places like New Zealand I think its shows how much we all want to be here today to celebrate Ashley and James’ wedding, I’m sure it will be a wonderful day tomorrow and even though the sun has set on James’ last night as a free man we have the whole evening ahead of us. Which brings us nicely onto the time that every bride fears.....what is he going to talk about....is he going to tell about the time when...??!! Well as you instructed Ashley, I won’t tell of any of those times even though it cost me 99% of my first draft.   
  
As such I did what any self respecting older brother would do, fail miserably, and then steal one from the internet. I’ve not read it yet so I hope it’s a good one.   
  
At this moment in time I am full of admiration and pride for the commitment they are both making to each other and I hope one day to follow the example they have set and be as happy as they are together. That said, I think we all agree that James matches Ashley very well and since we've known him, we've come to realise how special he is to her; and anyone can see that they're made for each other.   
  
James. I would like to welcome you into the family, even though you have been part of it for a good while now. I think you have been with Ashley long enough to know what you are letting yourself in for, so to be honest I haven't got any sympathy for you.

  
I will break my promise on the ‘no stories’ policy just once by reminiscing back to the summers we spent here as kids with Ashley dancing around on the beach in a white sundress telling us all how one day she’d meet her prince and she was going to come back here and get married. Little did we know that all those years later I would be standing here making this speech, introducing our very own Ashley Watson. 

  
If you would all please raise a glass to Ashley, who has been a wonderful sister putting up with me all these years and I am sure she will make as fine a wife. And to James, well… good luck!

  
On a more serious note it seems like the done thing is to offer some guidance on marriage so I found something with a more pragmatic message - Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction. A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate. Another one that I really liked, though somewhat less constructive, was the observation that when a man holds a woman's hand before marriage it is love; after marriage, it’s in self-defence.

  
I would like to thank you both for the honour of giving this speech, it has been a great week here with you all and I, like everyone here am privileged to share it with you. Ladies and Gentlemen, please be upstanding and raise your glasses for the first of many toasts. Here's to the future, for all that you look forward to together. To the Bride … Ashley …The new Mrs. Watson.”

 

“To Mrs Watson!” Everyone chorused, raising their glasses. Anne got to her feet and joined in as Ashley got up on to the stage and pulled Phillip into a hug. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Mrs Carlyle wiping the tears that had spilled down her cheek. When Phillip returned to their table a few moments later she grabbed her son in a hug. 

 

“Oh Phillip, that was perfect.” She choked out as Phillip tried to disentangle himself. 

 

“Thanks mom.” He laughed, kissing her cheek before retreating back to Anne. He wrapped his arms around her and planted a not so gentle kiss on her lips. Anne was vaguely aware of the fact half his family was now staring at them. 

 

She pulled back, their foreheads resting together. “That was perfect.” She whispered. “You didn’t tell me you were doing a speech?”

 

He sat back down and she took her own seat beside him, their hands linked and resting in her lap. “I nearly wasn’t… you stole my laptop and then dragged me out on a boat all day.” He laughed. 

 

Anne looked horrified for a second. “What… you… why didn’t you say something? I thought you were just irritating P.T.?!”

 

He laughed. “Gotcha…. I wrote it on the plane on the way here… you know I hate to leave things to the last minute.”

 

She elbowed him in the ribs. “God you’re annoying.”

 

“So then Phillip…” they both turned as his Mom slid back into her seat beside Anne. “Do I need to start looking for another dress?” She raised an eyebrow and gave him a knowing look. 

 

Phillip flushed bright red. Anne felt herself turning a matching shade when the realisation of what his Mom was implying hit her.  _ “I hope to one day follow the example they have set.”  _ How was it even after everything there was a part of her that wondered if he meant with her? He locked eyes with Anne for a moment and a slow smile spread across his face. It spoke of possibilities and hope for a future that before this week she’d been convinced was impossible. 

 

His Mom let out a squeal of excitement, taking their silence as the answer she’d been hoping for. “It’s so lovely to see both of my children so happy.” She grinned. “I’d better go and get another drink before there’s any more speeches!” She disappeared into the crowd at the bar. 

 

“Your speech really was perfect.” She whispered, resting her head against his shoulder. His fingertips traced patterns slowly on the exposed skin of her thigh. 

 

“I’m glad. It’s been keeping me up at night.” He joked. “I meant what I said though, if you were wondering.”

 

She sat up and looked at him. “I know.” As she pressed her lips to his again her fingers wound into his hair, his fingers gripping her thighs as they each tried to pull each other. 

 

When they eventually pulled apart gasping for air, just in time for James’ brother to begin his speech, they looked at each other for a long moment. Anne chewed on her bottom lip, wondering if her desire was as evident on her face as it felt. From the way he was looking at her she guessed yes. 

 

“Pay attention.” He whispered low in her ear, his fingers ghosting back up her thigh hidden by the table cloth. She glanced around the table but everyone was looking at the stage rather than at them. “There might be a test at the end knowing my sister.”

 

She laughed quietly, but sucked in a breath as his fingers crept further up. “Is there a prize if I get it right?” She whispered. 

 

His breath was warm in her ear. “I think I could find a way to reward you.”


	8. Part Eight

“Excuse me Mom, can I steal Anne away?” Phillip appeared behind her, his hands on her shoulders. “I think you owe me a dance.” He winked at Anne. 

 

“Of course dear.” Mrs Carlyle smiled. “It really is lovely to see you so happy Phillip.”

 

“Thanks Mom.” Phillip smiled, leaning down to give his mom a kiss on the cheek. He held his hand out to Anne. “Come on.”

 

She took his hand and let him pull her towards the dance floor. “I thought you told me you didn’t dance?” She asked as he wrapped his arms around her and started to sway slowly in time for the music. 

 

“I’m willing to make an exception for you.” He murmured in her ear. “Well, unless this breaks your rule?”

 

She pulled back a fraction to look at him. “What?”

 

“Well I seem to remember you threatening me with all kinds of things if I didn’t keep my hands to myself after last night.” He laughed. His hands slid slightly lower down her back. 

 

“Yeah, stop right there.” She warned. 

 

“I don’t remember you complaining about it last night.” He laughed. 

 

She rolled her eyes at him. “We’re at your sisters wedding can you not just behave yourself for a couple more hours? I honestly don’t think I heard a word your Mom said to me last night and I’ve been terrified all day she might ask me about something she said.”

 

“She likes you, I think you’re safe.” 

 

“Do you think?” Anne asked nervously. 

 

Phillip nodded. “She’s already planning a wedding.” He joked. 

 

Anne’s stomach flipped as she looked at him. “I thought they were going to hate me.” She didn’t think she’d ever heard him say anything positive about his parents so she’d psyched herself up for them to be awful. She wasn’t too sure about Mr Carlyle but Mrs Carlyle seemed nice enough. 

 

Phillip was quiet for a moment. “You’ll never please my dad, believe me I’ve spent years trying. My Mom loves you, she can see how happy you make me.”

 

“I’m really glad you asked me to come with you.” She murmured, resting her head against his shoulder. 

 

His lips pressed against the top of her head. “I’m really glad you said yes.”

 

“I can’t believe the week is over already.” She really wasn’t ready to be going home. 

 

“I know. I’m not ready to go back to reality.” It had been playing on his mind the night before after she’d fallen asleep- what was their new reality? So much had changed in the week they had been gone and it was difficult to imagine how all of this was going to work once they got back to New York. 

 

“It’ll be okay.” He said softly, his fingers tracing slowly across her back. “It might take a bit of getting used to and we’ve got some things to figure out but we’ll make it work. As long as I’m with you I’m happy.”

 

“Me too.” She mumbled, and for some reason she could feel her eyes filling with tears. 

 

“Hey.” He wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “What’s the matter?”

 

“Nothing.” She choked out. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m just so happy and…” she blinked furiously trying to stop the tears from falling. 

 

He laughed quietly. “You sure you’re not crying because you’ve just realised your stuck with me.”

 

“Definitely happy tears.” She shook her head. “You know what I mean. I saw you earlier when your sister walked down the aisle.”

 

“I had something in my eye.” He said defensively. 

 

“Yeah, like I have now.” She laughed. 

 

“It’s weird, my little sisters all grown up.” He sighed.

 

“She looks really happy.” Anne cast a glance over his shoulder at Ashley and James who were dancing together. 

 

“Yeah, she really does.” Phillip agreed. 

 

“I’m glad you came and asked me to dance. I couldn’t take much more interrogation from your Aunts.” Anne laughed. 

 

“Oh god.” Phillip cringed. “Do I even want to know?”

 

She laughed again. “They know absolutely everything there is to know about me now… they kept asking when we’re moving in together, how many kids we’re going to have, when we might be getting married… I didn’t have the heart to tell them we haven’t even been together a week.”

 

He cringed. “Sorry. I probably shouldn’t have left you alone with them.”

 

“It’s okay.” She smiled. “It’s nothing compared to what you’ll be going through if you get on the wrong side of W.D.”

 

He swallowed visibly. “Have I mentioned your brother is terrifying?”

 

“I know.” She agreed. “He’s been scaring off any boy that looked twice at me ever since I can remember. Don’t think he’ll go easy on you just because you’re his boss.”

 

“Are you deliberately trying to terrify me?” Phillip asked. “Because it’s working.”

 

“It’ll be fine. He’ll get used to it. He’ll have to because I could get used to you being around all the time. It’ll be weird not waking up next to you every morning.” She mused out loud. 

 

“Move in with me.” He blurted out. 

 

“What?” They’d stopped moving with the music by this point and were just standing at the edge of the dance floor holding each other.

 

“Move in with me.” He repeated. 

 

“Do you not think that maybe we’re doing this all a bit quick?” She frowned, the anxiety creeping in. 

 

“Sorry.” He mumbled. “I shouldn’t have said that, I-“

 

“Hang on a minute.” She interrupted. “I didn’t say no.”

 

“What does that mean?” He half smiled at her, waiting for an answer. 

 

“It means I like having you around and the idea of waking up in an empty bed without you every morning doesn’t really appeal.” She smiled. “I just don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”

 

“Why would I regret it?”

 

She laughed. “If you believe what W.D. says I’m a terrible person to live with.”

 

Phillip paused for a moment, considering what she’d said. “Well, hopefully he won’t be too mad if you move out then?”

 

“Shall we just concentrate on you surviving telling him about us first?” She suggested. His face fell. “I’m not saying no Phillip, I’m just saying a lot has happened this week and we need to work out how this works when we get back home.”

 

“So is that a yes?” He smiled at her, blue eyes sparkling and she felt her stomach flip. 

 

“Yes.” She nodded. “Did you ever doubt it?” 

 

“Well you did have me worried for a minute.” He admitted. 

 

She moved her hand up to cup the side of his face, pressing herself closer to him. “I love you Phillip, I’m not going anywhere.”

 

“I love you too.” He whispered, pressing his lips against hers. 

  
  



End file.
